A web desktop is a desktop environment that can be embedded in a web browser or similar client application. The web desktop can be used to integrate web applications, web services, client-server applications, application servers, and applications on a local client into a desktop environment using the desktop metaphor. A web desktop can be a virtual desktop running in a web browser. The applications, data, files, configuration, settings, and access privileges can reside remotely over the network. This allows much of the computing to take place remotely.
As the desktop metaphor has evolved over the years, the abilities of the desktop have advanced. Unfortunately, with the advances has come a certain amount of feature bloat. Superfluous and unnecessary features in many types of desktops can require excessive amounts of processor power and memory use. In addition, in a web desktop feature bloat can cause an undesirable amount of information to be communicated over a network. When a large number of computing devices connected to a network are using a web desktop, this excess communication can be a burden to the network.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.